About Michelle

This offering from Sanderson is aimed at the teenage market, but that is certainly not a bad thing. I loved the Mistborn series, but made the mistake of going from one book to the next, and by the middle of the 3rd it seemed to be dragging, and I gave up. This is not something which will happen with this book once you’re into it, so as long as you know what to expect, I think most adults would enjoy it too.

Joel is fascinated by the magic of the Rithmatists, which he sees studied at his college. Rithmatists use special geometric shapes and creatures which they draw in chalk, and bring magic to. Although Joel is skilled in the drawings, he has no magic, and so can not be a Rithmatist.

When some of the students go missing, and the college is attacked, Joel has to work together with Melody, a Rithmatist apprentice, to try to stop the killer.

Personally, I loved the idea behind the magic, which is basically drawing protective, magical shapes and creatures, to avoid being attacked. This is helped in the book by the illustrations from Ben McSweeney, which include the special shapes used, some of the creatures, and the chapter headings.

The story itself is fast paced, and I would recommend it as an introduction to fantasy for anyone, teen or older, or as a shorter, snappier read for those used to more epic fantasy. There are themes of family and friendship throughout, with a credible world and magic system.

Set in a near future, where androids are used for various tasks, Ben wakes one day to find a robot in his garden. Compared with the human-like androids, this is an old fashioned, broken robot, and Ben has no idea where it’s come from – and his wife Amy wants him to take it to the tip.

Instead, Ben finds himself intrigued by this little robot, who calls himself Tang, and when Amy leaves him, he decides to track down his maker, to try to fix the broken cylinder inside him.

It’s impossible not to like Tang, with his childlike charm and innocence, and I completely fell in love with him. Yet there’s so much more to this book, as Tang is the not the only one who needs to be mended.

I don’t want to talk too much about the journey taken, and the unfolding story, but I will say that this is a book with both heart and humour. It’s hard to believe that such a book can be a début for the author, and I will be advising everyone to read it when it’s published in April 2015. #JoinTheTangGang

Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition’s caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I’ll flood out all these tears and it’ll all be ok and I won’t be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can’t think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories – Herb’s death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah – but none of these are what caused the phobia. I’ve always had it. It’s Them. I’m just scared of Them. It’s that simple.

The story in this debut by James Rice is told by Greg, as he writes to Alice, a girl he likes, in his journal. Greg comes across as an awkward, shy boy with a phobia of ‘Them’ (which turn out to be spiders) but as the book goes on, it’s obvious there is more to be told. In fact, the story is interspersed with extracts of interviews of various characters with the police, which hint of much deeper issues.

Alice and the Fly is a book which gradually takes hold, as we find out more about Greg, his family, and his mental health problems. Telling the story from Greg’s point of view allows you to experience how he sees his world, and yet there is enough information to allow you to see what’s really going on, all the way to the heartbreaking conclusion.

Endgame: The Calling is part of something much bigger. It’s not something I know much about, so I will simply link to this article for those who wish to learn more. As for the book, I almost bought it in Waterstones, but decided against, as I wasn’t sure about the format. I then managed to get a kindle edition to review – this gave me the oppertunity to try the story, but I do feel that something was missing in this format, and I’m sure I’ll eventually buy the book.

So, to the story – it’s written in the present tense, and is written with sharp, snappy sentences. It jumps between characters, someof whom work alone, some who join up – so it gives different viewpoints and insights.

The basis of the story is that there are 12 main lines, each of which is represented by one young person. These twelve are trained all their lives, and at the age of 20 they ‘retire’ and pass on the responsibility to someone new.

The twelve are brought together after twelve meteors strike the earth, and they are informed that they will now battle each other to find 3 keys, and they are fighting for their line, as everyone else will die. The keys belong to ancient people from space, so there is a slight SF aspect to it.. maybe one which will be expanded on in the next two books.

Each of the twelve ‘players’ have their own backgrounds, feelings and styles, and there were a few I wanted to do well. It’s a harsh book, with violence and deaths, but it all seems acceptable and relevant to the story, so it’s not shocking.

It’s style may not be for everyone, but I found it’s pace quite addictive. I enjoyed it, and quite intrigued to see where the second book goes, but I have a feeling that some of the finer points passed me by. I’m a little confused as to whether I enjoyed it, and whether I would recommend it – but there definitely is something intriguing, and I would certainly recommend anyone interested to check out a sample to see what they think.

‘Why?’ I’m not thinking about being careful. I’m thinking about one last push, of letting go, of flying, and of falling.

‘You aren’t allowed to die without me,’ he whispers.

In her debut YA book, Jasmine tackles a very difficult subject, teenage suicide. Aysel is the daughter of murderer, and the effects this may have on her in the future scare her so much she decides she no longer wants to live. Roman is dealing with a terrible event in his life, and he’s looking for a suicide partner.. and it’s this which brings them together.

First to my reservations about the book – the opening section is quite bleak, mainly because Jasmine writes so well about how these young people are feeling. As a parent, it terrified me to think that young people could feel this bad, and not realise that there’s help out there. To feel that suicide is the only answer, and then to seek someone out so they can encourage and help each other.. well, it was hard to read. I also had reservations about young people with depression reading the book.

However, as the book progresses, you can see a change in Aysel, as she begins to face up to the way she feels, and her future. She also starts to feel a strong connection with Roman, but not because of the reasons they joined up. Things change for Aysel, but she now needs to make them change for Roman too.

This book proved hard to put down – both characters had my heart aching for them, wanting them to see that trying to struggle alone was not the answer, and that things could get better. The feelings of depression, worthlessness and guilt are so well written – but so also is the recovery. It isn’t a case of Aysel simply falling in love and realising the world is all sunny, it’s a case of discovering the power of relationships, and of talking and sharing.

This will be published by Hodder in February 2015, and I highly recommend you add it to your wishlist.

Cash-strapped, working for agencies and living in shared accommodation, Stephanie Booth feels she can fall no further. So when she takes a new room at the right price, she believes her luck has finally turned. But 82 Edgware Road is not what it appears to be.

It’s not only the eerie atmosphere of the vast, neglected house, or the disturbing attitude of her new landlord, Knacker McGuire, that makes her uneasy – it’s the whispers behind the fireplace, the scratching beneath floors, the footsteps in the dark, and the young women weeping in neighbouring rooms. And when Knacker’s cousin Fergal arrives, the danger goes vertical.

But this is merely a beginning, a gateway to horrors beyond Stephanie’s worst nightmares. And in a house where no one listens to the screams, will she ever get out alive?

Once again we have a dark and disturbing tale from the pen of Adam Nevill, and it’s one which took me on a roller coaster ride. It’s a difficult book to review without giving any of the plot away, especially at this early stage before publication, so for now I’ll be brief.

It starts with a rather traditional, chilling ghost story, as Stephanie spends her first night in her new room, and starts to experience sounds in her own room, and weeping in other rooms, which she’s sure are unoccupied.

The horror then becomes very real, as her landlord and his cousin show their true, terrifying, violent sides.

Throughout these experiences, Adam does something he did very well in Apartment 16.. he shows the absolute despair and depression felt as Stephanie’s world spirals out of her control, and she feels the full impact of having no-one, and nothing.

I’ll admit, as someone who’s read a LOT of horror in my time, I liked the creepy start much more than the violent aspect, but it was a necessary part of the story, and it didn’t overwhelm the scares.

The last third of the book was my absolute favourite though – I didn’t know where the book was going at this part, but for me it was the scariest part – I almost had to leave the light on a couple of times!

I’ve read Banquet for the Damned, Apartment 16, and The Ritual previously, and to me, Adam managed to bring all the best aspects of these books together in this one. There’s something inside for all sorts of horror readers, along with a critical view of parts of society.

It’s the best I’ve read so far, and I will highly recommend you get hold of it on the 23rd, and read as you approach Halloween! I’d love to chat to some of you about it. :)

Jonah is a Reviver – someone who can revive the dead for a short period of time. In Jonah’s case, he works for a forensic team, so he revives in order to let the victim testify about the events of their death. It’s a well controlled experience, and is used as evidence in courts.

However, during one revival, Jonah experiences something which makes him question exactly what they’re doing.. another presence, which he can’t explain. He’s told it’s just an hallucination, brought about by stress, but Jonah isn’t convinced, and starts to dig deeper. He ends up involved in something much bigger than he expected.

For the majority of the book, this feels like a crime / thriller, with this very interesting twist. The whole issue of Revival is explored, including it’s uses and problems, and it’s this aspect which lifts it well above average. Some reviewers have found the book too slow, but I disagree – there’s a lot of information to give, and aspects of reviving to explore, and I enjoyed this.

Throughout there’s an uneasiness, a suggestion of a supernatural element, and towards the end this becomes more apparent, and there’s a definite switch in the book. I have to admit, this did worry me for a while, because I’ve seen similar books which started to feel.. well, silly. In my opinion though, Seth keeps a realistic tone, and it soon settles into a good ending.

Whilst it would have been possible to keep simply to the idea of forensic revival, I’m not sure how far it could have been taken in the future. I would imagine that the supernatural aspect will feature quite strongly in the next book, and I look forward to finding out where we’re taken next.

Science Fiction is an area I dip into occasionally, and Gary Gibson was a new author to me, but when I was offered a copy of Extinction Game to review, something caught my attention, and so I agreed. I wasn’t sure how quickly I’d get to it, but I took a quick peek, and was soon hooked.

The story begins with Jerry Beche, who has managed to survive a deadly world-wide viral attack, and as far as he knows, he’s the only survivor on Earth. Until one day when he’s ‘rescued’, and taken to an island where there are others who have also survived the end of their own alternative Earth. He learns that there an infinite number of alternative Earths, and many of them have had their own apocalyptic event. A small group of survivors have been brought together and trained, and their role is to enter these Earths and rescue data, records, technology etc.

There’s a lot going on from this point – each world the teams visit has it’s own ending or strange future, and Gibson describes each one vividly, including the events leading up to the end of Jerry’s Earth. This was fascinating enough in itself, but we also explore the relationships within the team members, during their visits and in between. They’re an interesting group, with some handling events far better than others.

As well as this, they have to deal with the Authority, the organisation who brought them all together. Who exactly are they, and why do they need the data and technology? Also, where exactly did the ability to enter these other timelines come from?

The mix within this book was just right for me, and I read it within a couple of days. I wanted to find out as much as I could about the alternative worlds, and how it was possible to visit them, but I also found myself invested in the individuals involved, including Jerry. The balance is good, the SF aspect is there, but never weighs down the overall story, and it’s good to see characters being just as important as plot.

I’m going to recommend this one, but maybe especially to those, like me, may be a little wary of Science Fiction. I’m definitely putting some of his other books on my wishlist, and will wait rather impatiently for the sequel.

This book has to be read after The 100, and if possible, I’d recommend reading them close together. In case you’ve stumbled upon this review, the premise behind The 100 is that it’s set years after a devastating nuclear war on earth, with the last of humanity living on a large spaceship. Those under 18 who commit crimes are kept in Confinement, and then retried on their 18th birthday. 100 of these are sent on a dropship to Earth, to discover whether it’s habitable again.

This book picks up the story 21 days after they’ve arrived, a length of time which could be important if the effects are radiation start to show themselves. At the end of the first book, the teens have discovered that they’re not alone, and that their are in fact other people still living on Earth. Day 21 focuses on the conflict between these two groups as they interact. As with the first book, we still follow Glass, which allows us to keep up with events on the main ship.

I was a little disappointed with the first book, as my expectations were different having heard the TV show discussed on twitter. With this sequel I knew what to expect, and I enjoyed it a lot more. I already knew the characters, and the Earth-born added an extra desirable layer.

As I said in my review of The 100, this is more of a YA read with a touch of SF, whereas the series sounds much darker. If you enjoyed the first book, you definitely need to pick up this sequel. If you weren’t sure about the first, I’d still say give this one a try, as I found it the better book of the two.

There’s an important issue to mention at the start of this review.. I had heard about the TV series on twitter, and as far as I can tell, this book and it’s sequel are completely different. The show appears to be rather dark, whilst the books are a much lighter YA read.

So…the book is set years after a devastating nuclear war on earth, with the last of humanity living on a large spaceship. Those under 18 who commit crimes are kept in Confinement, and then retried on their 18th birthday. 100 of these are sent on a dropship to Earth, to discover whether it’s habitable again.

The story follows a few of these 100, using short flashbacks to gradually reveal their past. Relationships are explored, both with each other, and in their flashbacks, as they attempt to deal with their new existence.

I’m rather torn about the book, and this may have come down to expectation, as I heard about the TV show first. To me, this is more of a book about teen relationships, and how they deal with these, rather than a SF book about living on a spaceship, and rediscovering Earth. I’m personally not keen on flashbacks, but they are short, and it’s probably the best way to tell the story. Accepted for what it is, however, it’s an enjoyable, rather addictive book. It does end with a cliff-hanger ending, and I was keen to move onto the sequel to find out what came next.

If you have no pre-conceptions, and you’re looking looking for a YA with a touch of SF, then you may enjoy this.